Infant formula was designed for use as a substitute for human milk when mothers are unable to breast feed their babies. Commercially available infant formulae tend to be presented in either a sterilized liquid form (ready-to-feed (RTF)) or in a powder form. While liquid infant formulae are more convenient to use and can avoid errors in the reconstitution of powdered formulae, the price is significantly higher. As such, most families opt for powdered infant formulae that, in addition to being less expensive, are much easier to transport and store. However, as a general rule, powdered infant formula is not a sterile product. Accordingly, parents and caregivers are advised to follow precise handling, preparation, and storage guidelines to reduce the risk of illness and ensure healthy consumption.
While precise instructions vary from one manufacturer to the next and from one formulation to the next, formula feed preparation generally involves adding a select amount of powdered infant formula to a corresponding amount of optionally pre-sterilized water, either directly in a sterilized baby bottle or in a large storage container, and mixing, stirring and/or agitating until thoroughly combined. Both manufacturers and pediatricians emphasize the criticality of proper mixing. For example, excess shaking and blending tends to introduce air bubbles into the formulation that, in turn, can lead to painful gas if/when ingested by the infant. Aggressive agitation can also damage or denature delicate essential nutrients and proteins and thus undermine the nutritional value of the resulting formulation. On the flip side, incomplete mixing can also yield an infant formulation of inadequate nutritional value. Thus, a careful balance is critical. However, as many parents can attest, achieving consistent homogenous reconstitution of the powdered material is nearly impossible through manual methods (e.g., hand shaking, swirling and/or stirring). Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus, system, and method for automating the preparation of a reconstituted infant feed formulation from powdered infant formulae.